Projects

Each year The Solomon Foundation supports a wide variety of humanitarian projects in Solomon Islands, both financially and logistically.  Some initiatives are ‘in-house’, but the foundation has a proud history of partnering with other like-minded individuals and organisations who are doing good works in the South Pacific.  These partnerships are important as they expand our resource pool, and also help us to decrease potential duplication, thereby stream-lining vital services across a wide range of service providers.

The Big Project 2019 – a new CT scanner for The National Referral Hospital, Honiara 

Late last year it was decided that we would launch an annual fundraiser for a cause that will have a huge positive impact on the well-being of Solomon Islanders.   To this end Lady Potter and Chair Ian Hosking Richards made a visit to Honiara in October 2018 in order to review a number of humanitarian projects that currently need funding.  Whilst there are many projects that desperately need funding, following this visit The Solomon Foundation decided to put their efforts into providing a CT scanner for the country’s National Referral Hospital in Honiara.  Although Solomon Islands is the second most populous country in the South Pacific (after PNG) with a population of over 600,000, it does not have a single CT scanner.. Even Nauru, with a tiny population of just 11,000, has a brand new-state-of the-art one.  Australia has approximately 1,000 machines nationally.  The procurement of a CT scanner has been a high priority on the ‘wish-list’ of The Solomon Islands Government for several years, but due to the huge cost involved, all previous attempts to fund the project have ultimately failed.

Summary

Having no CT scanner has forced The National Referral Hospital to refer patients overseas for CT examination at considerable cost.

Amongst the 10 most common causes of death in Solomon Islands, studies show that CT examination would have provided valuable information in 70% of these cases.

Studies show that a CT scanner would see a caseload of approximately 3,380 patients per year.

CT examination would be of great benefit in a wide range of suspected conditions, particularly NCDs (non-communicable diseases) or ‘life-style’ diseases that are becoming increasingly common in Solomon Islands and elsewhere in the South Pacific.

Whilst Solomon Islands government do not have the financial resources to purchase a CT scanner, the cost of not having one is considerable.  A CT scanner would ultimately save a huge amount of money that could be re-allocated to other essential medical services, rather than being spent on sending patients overseas for examination.

When analysed in terms of cost, benefits and impacts, the case for a CT scanner is overwhelming.  By having access to a CT scanner locally, the cost saving is in the order of SBD$16,556 (AUD$2,768 per patient during the first year of operation, and an average of 80% thereafter.

Non-monetary benefits and impacts on safety and quality care, quality of life and productivity for an estimated 3,380-5,500 Solomon Islander per year can also be realized.
 

National Screening for all School Aged and Young People in Solomon Islands

This project was conceived and is being driven by board member and cardiologist Dr James Weaver.  The initiative has three main aims:
To clarify the rates of RHD (Rheumatic Heart Disease) in school aged children and young adults in Solomon Islands
To establish a screening and effective secondary prophylaxis programme across Solomon Islands
To establish a rigorous prospective database for long-term follow-up.

Whilst still in the early stages of planning, this vital project will take approximately 2 years to complete, at a cost of approximately US$500,000

For information on other projects that The Solomon Foundation is currently working on, please click on the ‘Partnerships’ tab.